This invention is generally concerned with a postage accounting system and more particularly with a postage accounting and letter addressing system including a computer constructed and arranged for transmitting ASCII encoded variable information for driving an external printer.
This Patent Application is one of the following three, concurrently filed, related, Patent Applications assigned to the same assignee: U.S patent application Ser. No. 08/356,747 for a Postage Accounting System Including Means For Transmitting A Bit-Mapped Image Of Variable Information For Driving An External Printer, filed by Seestrom (Attorney Docket No. E-306); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/359,749 for a Postage Accounting System Including Means For Transmitting ASCII Encoded Variable Information For Driving An External Printer, filed by Ramadei (Attorney Docket No. E-307); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/356,748 for a Postage Metering System With Dedicated and Non-Dedicated Postage Printing Means, filed by Seestrom (Attorney Docket No. E-308).
Various data processing systems have been developed. Examples of such systems are disclosed in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,010 for a Franking Machine With Variable And Fixed Thermal Printhead, filed by Gilham et. al. and issued Apr. 17, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,761 for a Method And Apparatus For Interfacing A Thermal Printer, filed by Hawkes and issued Oct. 20, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,812 for a Franking Machine, filed by Abumehdi and issued Apr. 27, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,657 for a Method For Franking Postal Matter And Device For Carrying Out the Method, filed by Gunther and issued Aug. 3, 1993; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,293,465 for a Franking Machine With Digital Printer, filed by Abumehdi, et al, and issued Mar. 8, 1994.
The most pertinent of the aforesaid references are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,010, which discloses a thermal printer for independently printing fixed and variable information utilizing different printheads at a single printing station; U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,761, which discloses structure for selectively strobing different lines of data which are to be printed by a printhead; U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,657, which discloses structure for transmitting essential portions of a franking image corresponding to a requested franking and completing the franking image with stored image portions; and, U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,812, which discloses a franking machine including a communications port and including a circuit permitting the machine to configure the port to match the communication standards utilized by a given device connected to the franking machine.
However, the references are silent concerning the provision of a postage accounting system which includes a secure postage accounting module, including structure for transmitting a code, corresponding to a variable portion of a postage indicia and an address, to a non-secure printing system which is separated from the accounting module, thereby permitting the printer to make a decision, based on the code, defining the content of the information which is to be printed.
Accordingly:
an object of the invention is to provide a postage accounting system including means for transmitting a plurality of ASCII encoded strings of characters, respectively corresponding to variable information, to a printing system;
another object is to provide postage accounting structure including a communications interface connected for receiving, from an external source thereof, plain text versions of respective portions of mailing addresses of respective items, including labels and letters, means for transmitting to an external printer fixed postage indicia information once for a plurality items, to be processed by the printer, and means for transmitting a separate string of ASCII encoded characters, respectively corresponding to different variable information, for each of the plurality of items; and
another object is to provide a postage accounting system which includes postage accounting computer means having encryption structure and a communications interface, means connected to the interface for providing at least a portion of the plain text version of each of a plurality of mailing addresses for a corresponding plurality of items, including labels and items, the accounting means including means for transmitting a bit-mapped image of a fixed portion of a postage indicia for sequentially printing on each the plurality of items, and the accounting means including means for sequentially transmitting a separate ASCII encoded string of characters, respectively corresponding to an encrypted version of a portion of an address and a variable portion of the postage indicia, for sequentially printing on the respective items.